Piezoelectric Components

Transducer Crystals

Boston Piezo-Optics specializes in the supply of custom and OEM specified piezoelectric transducer crystals and maintains an inventory of quartz, many of the popular piezoceramics, lithium niobate, tourmaline, and other special piezoelectric materials from which we fabricate crystals to meet your specific needs.

Crystals are available to generate or detect compressional, shear, torsional, length extensional or flexural modes of vibration.

Materials

Single-Crystal Quartz

Lead Zirconate Titanate

Lithium Niobate

Tourmaline

Other special piezoelectric materials

Typical Applications

Medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications

Acoustic holography

Non-destructive testing and evaluation

Ultrasonic delay lines

Acousto-optical components

Pressure measurement

Property analysis of solids, liquids and gases

Flow and level sensing

Proximity Sensors

Accelerometers

Pressure Transducers

Application Assistance

The skills necessary to produce our transducer crystals are readily applied to the production of related acoustic items, such as wear plates and buffer rods. High quality lapping techniques and chemically applied overtone polish provide crystal quartz, fused silica and alumina components with minimal sub-surface damage.

Shapes

Sizes

Crystals as large as 4" X 8" at 1 MHz in quartz, 6" in diameter in ceramics, and as small as 0.020" in diameter in both quartz and ceramics are available. Rectangular or square crystals can be made in similar sizes.

Finishes

Two surface finishes are standard: 3 micron fine lapped for fundamental operation, and our proprietary chemical polish for overtone operation. Note: Overtone polish is available on all our materials. The flatness and parallelism will vary with the material and especially the thickness. We do not quote specific numbers of flatness and parallelism, but we guarantee that the crystals will resonate at the 3rd, 5th and 7th overtones. Some crystals can be made to very specific degrees of flatness and parallelism. This is a function of size. Please request a quotation.

Electrodes

Vacuum-deposited electrodes enable us to achieve optimum frequency match in a variety of patterns. These thin (≈3500 Å) electrodes maintain the flatness, parallelism and surface quality of the crystals and do not overload thin, high frequency crystals. Standard electrodes are vacuum-deposited chrome/gold, or just chrome. Also offered are electroless nickel, or electroless nickel plus electroless gold, and fired palladium/silver, silver, gold and platinum/gold.

Many special patterns are available, and custom masks can be made to your specifications. (Not all patterns are available in all electrode materials.)

Leads

Soldered wire leads, appropriate to the size and frequency of the crystals, are available. Or, we will gladly explain how to make your own soldered connections onto our electrodes. Click here for the instructions.